Consulting the Flower
by Sailor Jedi Witch
Summary: Harry and Hermione are in love...but neither of them know how the other feels! What will happen? Will romance bloom as the bud of a flower, or will it wilt before its true beauty is revealed? He loves me, he loves me not....Please r/r! CH. 3 & 4 ARE HERE!
1. Whoopsy Daisy!

Gallagher, Ashley

Hello everyone! Welcome to _Consulting the Flower! As some of my friends may know, this started out as a paper for English. It was supposed to be a Valentine's Day thing, and I wanted to write about one of my favorite couples in the world…Harry and Hermione! (Usagi and Mamoru would be too complicated! ^_^;) Anyway, when I wrote the paper, my teacher, knowing that I would write some huge, 100-page novel or something, gave me a terribly short limit-2 measly pages! So, I wrote the story, but it came out much shorter than I wanted it to, and thus, I was never quite satisfied with it. And now that I have so much time on my hands, and I am a proud member of ff.net, I have decided to complete my dream and restore this excellent tale to its full grandeur! (Such descriptive words! Yay!) So, on to the story. (This is for you Mrs. Lastra, who didn't know what you were missing or what you were messing with when you put a limit on my creative genius!!!!! LOL)_

Consulting the Flower

Rated PG, just in case

Chapter 1: Hold On

Harry Potter, Head Boy, lay in bed in the 7th Year boys' dorm, thinking about one thing…Hermione. Hermione Granger. She was the only thing he could ever think about these days, their final year together at Hogwarts. Night after night, he lay awake sleeplessly. Thinking about how he loved her, how he longed beyond anything he had ever longed for, including bringing his parents back to life, to tell her, and to have those feelings returned. _But how can she love me, thought a deeply distressed Harry. __I'm nothing but a friend to her…even though I wish we were something more. _

Harry had loved this girl ever since he had gotten to know her. Even though he had a crush on Cho Chang for a little while, it was absolutely nothing compared to the feelings he had for Hermione. He had always wanted to tell her, but was afraid. He cherished the bond they shared, and didn't want to ruin it. Plus, he was even more afraid that she wouldn't feel the same way. He most certainly didn't want to hurt her. _So I won't tell her… I can't bear the thought of hurting her, he thought. __Then again… was his last contradiction, more made in his heart than his head, __I don't want to lose her either… And with this last thought, Harry Potter fell into a troubled sleep._

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Hermione Granger, Head Girl, lay in bed in the 7th Year girls' dorm, thinking about one thing…Harry. Harry Potter. She was thinking about the deep longing she had to be loved by him. She had loved him the moment she laid eyes on him, cherished every waking moment spent with him. He was the only reason she got up in the mornings sometimes, on those days when you feel the world is out to get you. When just the thought of facing reality and its cruel jests is too much to bear for a single human being. But just the thought of his smile, his voice, of just being near to him got her up. He was her strength, her heaven on earth. 

_But he'll never love me, she thought, deeply saddened. __He's so wonderful, and I'm just…just… And with these last thoughts, Hermione Granger fell asleep._

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The next day, first day of the Christmas holidays, Harry woke up feeling distressed. He wondered why for a moment, trying to get his bearings, when he remembered the internal conflict he had with himself last night, like all the nights before it. He got up, got dressed, and headed downstairs to the Great Hall for – he checked his watch – LUNCH! He must have gone to sleep very late, for he never woke up this late, not even on holiday. When he walked into the Great Hall, he was not surprised to see that it was almost empty. Most people liked to leave for the holidays. Harry, of course, never did, seeing as the alternative was going to the Dursley's house. This year however, he had been rid of them forever, for his godfather's name had been cleared of all charges, and he was going to move in with him this summer. And seeing as Sirius, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts, stayed here for the holidays, Harry had another reason not to leave the school, which had really become like home for him over the years. But even his best friend, Ron, had left. He was spending the holiday at the Burrow with his parents, sister, and all his brothers. He had expected to see Hermione gone too, she had said something about visiting her parents, so he was surprised to see her sitting at the table, reading a newspaper, and looking quite depressed. _She looks how I feel, he thought. He pulled out a chair and sat next to her. _

"Hello Hermione," he greeted. Hermione literally jumped about a foot in the air at the sound of his voice. 

"Oh, hi Harry!" 

"Weren't you going to visit your Mum and Dad?" he inquired, slightly confused. 

"Yes, well, um…a relative got sick…and my parents wanted to be there, buts it's really very far and I didn't want to make the trip, so I decided to stay for the holidays." 

"Oh, well, cool!" he said. _Maybe, he thought, __just maybe, I can use this week alone with her to see how she feels, and maybe even get a date…He became quite excited at the thought, and decided to take immediate action, lest his nerves and doubts get the better of him. _

"Well, I'm gonna go to Quidditch field and practice a little," he said. "You want to come?"

"Uh…sure," she answered timidly. Harry got up, took her by the hand, and led her to the field.

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Hermione sat in the stands, watching Harry zoom around the Quidditch field. She was holding her right hand in her left, not daring to believe what had just happened. Harry had held her hand, taking her to the Quidditch field. It was a silly thing, she knew, to get so excited about, people held hands all the time. He was probably just being friendly. But she just couldn't help feeling so…

A slight _whoosh of wind and the sudden appearance of Harry's face interrupted her. She jumped, startled, and Harry laughed softly._

"Sorry I startled you. Do you want to go for a ride?" he asked. She was confused for a minute, then realized that he was floating on his broomstick in the stands right in front of her. 

"I'm not so sure…I don't like flying…" she began to say. 

"Come on! You flew a broomstick when we were looking for the Sorcerer's Stone in first year, remember? You were fine then. And then when we flew Buckbeak…"

"That was six years since I rode a broom, I haven't even picked one up since, and when we flew Buckbeak I almost had a heart attack…"

"Don't worry about it, you'll be fine with me," he said, holding out his hand. She reluctantly took it, and swung her legs over the broom. Harry pulled on it and they sped off. Hermione instinctively grabbed him around the waist tightly.

"Oh my God…oh Jesus…We are _very high…" she squeaked. Harry laughed again._

"Just relax," he said soothingly. "Close your eyes." Hermione complied. She was still tense at first, but she began to appreciate the ruffling wind, the feather-light feeling that came with zooming around in midair. She opened her eyes, and looked down, but was no longer afraid. She felt so free…

"Here we go," Harry said, and she wondered for a moment what he was talking about. Then she saw him pulling up on the broom, and they were going up…

"Oh my God!!" Hermione screamed, grabbing Harry so tightly she was afraid he wouldn't be able to breathe. They finished the loop, then sped around, making various sharp turns, and then finally diving like a bird seeking it's prey…the ground rushed up toward them, and Hermione jammed her eyes shut. They were going crash, she was going to die…

But when she felt only a slight bump, she opened her eyes. She was sitting in the wet, snowy grass, and beside her, Harry was rolling with laughter on his broom a couple of feet above the ground. She blinked stupidly, and the got the idea. Harry was in control the whole time, and she managed to slide off somehow when he had stopped. She looked at him with a sharp glare.

"Think that's funny do you?"

"Yes, I do," he said, returning her stare. They stood staring like that for a long time. Hermione couldn't help it. The corners of her mouth twitched, and Harry let out something of a forced snort, and then they both started cracking up for no reason.

"Oh, yeah? I'll give you funny!" she hid her hands behind her back, and managed to roll a clump of snow into something that resembled a ball. She threw it at him, and it hit him square in the face, splattering all over his glasses. He stood there, confounded, then hopped off his broom and began to roll up snowballs of his own. 

"Ha ha HA! I'll get you my pretty!" he cackled in an uncanny imitation of the wicked Witch of the West, chasing her and lobbing snowballs at her. She squealed like a child with delight as she countered ruthlessly with enchanted snowballs that followed Harry around like seeker missiles until they hit. They ran around like five-year-olds, and when they had finished snowball fighting, began to play a game of tag. Hermione ran as far as her snowball-dripping, cold legs could carry her, running past the Quidditch field onto the sloping lawns of Hogwarts, giggling madly all the way. 

"I'm going to get you, Hermione Granger!" Harry cried, catching up to her. 

"No you won't!" she said, running faster, though that wasn't very much. 

But Harry was true to his word; he ran up directly behind Hermione, grabbing her arm. Hermione however, wasn't giving up without a fight. She kicked snow towards Harry, making him slip, but taking Hermione down with him. They screamed and laughed as they rolled unhindered down a rather steep hill, coming to a stop at the bottom. Hermione's breath came out in a fog as she laughed uncontrollably. 

"I haven't – had that much fun – since I was – a little – girl!" she exclaimed with bated breath.

"Neither have I," panted Harry. Hermione stared at him, and giggled harder.

"What, you were a little girl once?" she asked between laughs.

"NO! That's not what I said!" exclaimed Harry hotly, without laughing. 

"Yes you did! I said, 'I haven't had that much fun since I was a little girl,' and you said 'Neither have I,' meaning that you also hadn't had that much fun – since _you_ were a little girl!" She broke once more into hysterical laughter. Harry made a face, but laughed too, saying,

"You win."

They lay like that, laughing in the cold snow, for a long time. When they finally stopped laughing hard enough to get up, they looked up the steep hill they had fallen down from, and glanced at each other. 

"Uh, Harry?" Hermione asked. "How are we going to get back up?" 

"Well, that's easy, I'll just summon my…" But Harry couldn't just summon his Firebolt, because he didn't have his wand. 

"Um, do you have your wand, Hermione?" 

"No, I dropped it in the Quidditch field, I think."

"Well then, it's a steep walk, so we'd better get to it," he said, offering his hand. Hermione took it, and they began the long walk up the hill. 

It was a pretty funny sight, seeing the two lean on each other for strength to climb the hill. It looked as though they had entered in a two-legged race, as a matter of fact. When they had finally finished climbing the hill and walked back to the castle, panting and dripping wet, it was pretty late in the afternoon. But despite it all, Harry and Hermione were still laughing. 

"Remind me _never_ to go to Quidditch practice with you when it's snowing ever again," Hermione commented between giggles. 

"Deal," Harry agreed, chuckling. They looked at each other's state, Hermione with hair plastered to her face from the cold and wet, Harry's glasses askew and frosted over with frozen drops of water, and laughed even harder. 

"What got into you?" said a deep voice from behind them. The two youths spun around to face a grinning Sirius Black, unlike the younger pair, dry and very warm looking with his black cotton robes and a corduroy cloak of the same color. 

"I think it was the weather," giggled Hermione, pushing back a strand of drippy hair. 

"Uh huh. Well, do you two want to come to my office? I've made some tea, and it looks like you could use some." Harry and Hermione nodded vigorously, following their friend and teacher.

When they reached Sirius' office, he pointed his wand and a fire began to blaze in the grate. Another point of the wand, this time at a kettle on the fire, and it immediately began to whistle. Sirius sprinkled some tealeaves into the pot, then poured out three cups. Hermione and Harry took the offered cups gratefully, sipping it and letting the warmth flood over their cold bodies. Hermione magicked some honey into the air, and put a plop of it into her tea. 

"Thanks, Sirius. I really appreciate it," Hermione said.

"Me too," Harry agreed. 

"I could tell," Sirius replied with a crooked grin. He turned to Harry and his expression became a bit more serious. 

"Hermione, do you think I could talk to Harry? Alone? I need to speak to him about something." Hermione shrugged, but didn't want to leave Harry after they had had so much fun. However, her words contradicted her thoughts as she said "Sure," and walked out, leaving the empty cup on Sirius' cluttered desk. 

"Thanks," the older man said, smiling.

"See you later," she called, waving good-bye, and heading off to the girls dormitory, partly in order to change, but mostly to flop onto her bed and swoon.

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"What'd you that for!" exclaimed Harry the moment Hermione was out of earshot. 

"What? What'd I do!" asked a shocked Sirius.

"Why'd you send Hermione away like that!" Harry answered, beet red with anger and embarrassment. 

"Because I needed to talk to y- Hey, wait a minute. You _like_ her don't you?" Sirius figured out, grinning wickedly.

"Don't be stupid, I just thought it was rude…"

"Rude. Yeah. And Snape's hair isn't greasy. You _like_ her! You like Hermione! Oh, my God, it was so obvious…"

"Shut up, Sirius. You're acting like a little kid."

"Aw, wittle Hawwy's all gwowed up and has a cwush…"

"I said, shut up."

"Harry and Hermione sittin' in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G…"

"I'm warning you, Sirius…"

"First comes love, then comes marriage…"

"I'm not going to say it again."

"Then comes baby in a baby carriage! That's not all, that's not all, baby's…"

"SHUT UP, SIRIUS!!!!"

"Ok, ok." Sirius was still grinning though. "I can't believe it, wait till Remus hears this…"

"What did you need to talk to me about?" Harry said, pretending to ignore what Sirius just said, but glaring daggers at him all the same. 

"Oh, yes. That." Sirius cleared his throat and stopped smiling. "It's a very serious matter of course, so I needed to…"

"Get on with it!"

"Well, I was going to ask if you needed me to hook you up with a date for the Christmas Ball, but it looks like you have that covered," rushed Sirius, smiling more than ever. Harry's eyes flashed; he took out his wand, pointed it at his godfather, uttered something, and Sirius' robes were suddenly on fire. 

"HEEEEY!!!" he yelled, hopping around and fanning his buttocks, trying to put out the fire. Harry smiled. 

"I told you to shut up." 


	2. Petals in the Wind

Hello, fans, and welcome to the anticipated second chapter of _Consulting the Flower!_ This is going to be sooooooooo much fun to write…If you didn't know, I always write my intros before I actually write the chapters, then make changes as needed when I'm done…so I haven't actually written the chapter as I'm writing this now. Whatever, I'm probably confusing you, so please read and review as always, get over any R/Hr syndrome, and most of all, ENJOY! 

Consulting the Flower

Rated PG, just in case

Chapter 2: Petals in the Wind 

   Harry Potter walked to the Gryffindor tower alone, thinking about this afternoon. He smiled goofily as he relived every sweet moment of it, from Hermione's sweet voice, to her gentle touch. The mere thought of how close they had been made a warm tingle run up and down his spine. 

   Arriving at the portrait of the Fat Lady, he uttered the password and ran up to the empty seventh year boys' dorm. He undressed with icy fingers, grabbed a warm towel, no doubt the courtesy of the Hogwarts house-elves, and gratefully dried off. When he was finished, he pulled on some new robes and jogged downstairs to devise the next step in Operation In Your Dreams. (Wasn't Harry optimistic?)

   Stepping lightheartedly into the inviting warmth of the common room, he found something lying in one of the empty chairs. Leaning down to get a closer look, he found it was a soft, white handkerchief. Embroidered on the corners were light, pink petals swirled in what he assumed was wind; cherry blossoms. In the bottom right-hand corner, there were sewed on some words in powder blue, loopy curves. It read:

"H. Granger."

   Smiling softly, he picked up the delicate cloth and smelled it lightly. It smelled just like her, a sweet, tangy mixture of crisp autumn air, roses, and something he couldn't quite put his finger on – _sniff sniff_ – cinnamon sticks! Playing with it in his hands for a minute, he grinned widely and stuffed it in his pocket. _Perfect for the plan…yeah, that's right!_ His mind reasoned, and Harry stood and nodded his agreement. 

   But his ever-contradicting heart and soul chorused that he wanted it solely because he could carry a piece of Hermione everywhere he went. 

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   Harry walked along the empty stone corridors toward the Owlery with some owl treats and an ornate wooden box filled to the brim with cherry blossoms in his hand. He had already devised the next part of his plan. It seemed pretty obvious by the embroidery on the handkerchief that Hermione must like cherry blossoms, so he had made some appear with a flick of his wand, and put them in the little wooden box that he had found in a box of things, given to him by Sirius and Remus, that had belonged to his mother and father. Pausing for a moment to place the little poem he had written (to Harry's pride, all by himself) on a card, signed "Hopelessly Pining" in the box. Satisfied, he whistled as he strolled merrily to the drafty tower.

   Passing a window, he looked down onto an empty courtyard, thinking he had heard Hermione's voice. He was such a sucker for her that just her voice could make him stop where he was and conjure impossible daydreams. But it must have been his imagination or a flicker of the shadows, because he saw nothing. Shrugging, he continued on his way.

   He didn't notice a small, perfect cherry blossom flutter down to the courtyard below.  

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Hermione stepped down the stone steps into the courtyard, humming lightly, and sat down on a bench, clutching her black velvet shawl closer about herself. She couldn't stop thinking about the wonderful, almost unbelievable time she had just had with Harry, her heart's desire. Gazing about happily, she noticed something pink floating in the air. It was a cherry blossom. That was strange; flowers like that had never grown around this chilly, mountainous country, let alone in the middle of winter. Smiling, she snatched it from its gloomy, cold confine in amidst the sky and twisted it about daintily, admiring it. She loved cherry blossoms; they were so…so cheery and uplifting, and so gorgeous. This lovely little flower didn't belong in the middle of a lonely gray courtyard where someone would undoubtedly crush it thoughtlessly under his heel. An idea sprang up in her head, and she tucked the little flowerlet in her hair, just by her ear. Giggling lightly like a little girl, she sprang up and danced off on the balls of her feet, extremely cheerful for absolutely no reason at all. 

   Maybe it was because the little flower, for reasons unknown to her, reminded her strongly of Harry.

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I have no idea why I wrote this chapter, it was so short and pointless. I think it was to get my thoughts going for the next major "scene," and to act as kind of a bridge, or a breather, if you will, before I start building up to the climax. But anyway, I thought it was sweet, and it kind of fit, so… Anyway, thoughts, suggestions…you know the drill. Until we meet again, farewell!


	3. A Plan in Bloom

Good morning, afternoon, or evening, depending on the time during which you will read this next thrilling installment of CONSULTING THE FLOWER! I know it has been an eternity, my darlings, but the third chapter has finally arrived, artfully spread before your eager and hungry minds and souls in an ornate tapestry of words that will soothe the inner turmoil I know resides in your mortal hearts for the time being as you dive daringly into a world that is not your own, yet feels like home. That was such a wicked sentence! All right, I've had my fun for today. ATTENTION! SJW ACTUALLY HAS USEFUL ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR ONCE IN THE ENTIRE COURSE OF HER EXISTENCE!! Now that I have your attention, I would like to point out a few things. If, in any way shape, or form, the characters become a little OOC (Out Of Character for the blissfully ignorant… Just playing! You're not ignorant!) please inform me via reviews, and I will send you an e-mail or whatever explaining my reasons and/or promising to fix it if it was not part of my devious plan to make the fanfic interesting! (Oh, dear God, what is this world coming to when my fics actually are worth boasting, truthfully, no less, about!) So, on with it!

Consulting the Flower 

Rated PG, just in case

Chapter 3: A Plan In Bloom

          Harry walked about in circles in the Hogwarts Owlery, trying to find a suitable owl to use. He would have chosen his own Hedwig, but she was off hunting somewhere. 

          Finally, after much careful deliberation, (every little detail had to be perfect, after all!) he selected one of the school eagle owls by the name of Archimedes, known to be one of the most apt and intelligent delivery owls available to the students. As the beautiful bird fluttered down to his arm, Harry showed him a picture of Hermione.

"See this girl?"

"Hoo…"

"This is the girl you're looking for. Understand?"

"Hoo…"

"I want you to search the entire school to find her, then deliver this box right into her arms. Okay?"

"Hoo hoo…"

"Good. Now, I'm going to change your looks just a little… don't be alarmed. It'll wear off _after_ you've delivered the package and when you're at least 200 feet away from the girl. Got me?"

"HOO!"

"Okay, okay, I'm going. Now…_Transfiguro!"_

          Immediately, Archimedes's form shrank, and his feathers turned pure white. His eyes became small and beady, and his beak became smaller, and more elegantly shaped. 

          The best school owl had just become the best school dove. The only school dove, for that matter. 

"The only thing I changed was your appearance. You obviously still have your same memories… if owls _have… _memories… And you will have the same strength. But to make things look a little more believable…"

          Harry pulled out his wand again, tapped the object in his hand, and the little wooden box became a perfect, pure white rose, so beautiful it only could've been conjured by magic. Placing it in the owl… dove… um… _dowl's_ beak, he threw his arm up a little, and Archimedes flew away to deliver his package. 

~*~*~

          Hermione hummed softly to herself, roaming the empty halls of Hogwarts. The beautiful cherry blossom was perched just above her ear in her bushy brown hair, bringing out the slight natural blush of pink in her cheeks. Her thoughts drifted away to Japan, where cherry trees grew everywhere. She remembered her first visit there with her parents, when she was seven or eight. They had gone to perform some mouth surgery on some ambassador there, and had decided to take Hermione with them. Then her thoughts drifted some more, as she fantasized about her and Harry sitting under the shade of a cherry tree in full bloom, lying on a soft blanket after having their fill of a picnic lunch…

          But her pleasant fantasies were interrupted as the soft cooing of a dove nearby penetrated the dreamy fog she was in. Looking up, she found the white bird perched on a leafless branch quite close to her own head. She held out her arm with a careful smile, inviting it to perch there. It cocked its head and cooed for a second, looking as though it were considering, then it fluttered over and landed right on her left forearm. 

"Oh, you're a pretty little bird, aren't you?" she whispered, stroking his head softly. He closed his eyes, as if enjoying it, then bumped his little beak against her arm.

"Oh, what's in there?" she asked, now spying the rose clamped between his jaws. "A rose? How beautiful!"

He nudged her again, and she then realized what he was doing.

"For me?" 

"Coo…"

"Oh, my…" She took it in her hands, then with a flash, it transformed into a gorgeous little wooden box. With trembling hands, she lifted the lid, and a haunting melody began to play. That wasn't the best part, though. It was filled to the brim with fully bloomed, perfect cherry blossoms. She gasped as she spied a note hidden among the pink flowers, merely signed:

"Hopelessly Pining."

"Oh, my. Look, Dove, it seems I have a… a secret admirer!" she cried softly, sheer surprise evident in her voice.

          The glint in the little white bird's eyes seemed to show that he agreed.

~*~*~

          Archimedes circled the Owlery, apparently trying to find a spot to slip through, now that he was back in owl form. He finally found one of the glass-less windows and soared inside the stone tower. Harry spotted him out of the corner of his eye, and extended his arm as a perch for his cunning little delivery bird.

"So, how'd it go?"

"Hooo…"  
"Did she like it?"

"Hoo hooooo hoo hoo hooo."

"Wonderful! Absolutely fabulous! Here's a reward for you!" Harry held out a fistful of brand-new, mouse-flavored Owl Treats, which Archimedes ate gladly before flapping over to his usual perch to rest before the night's hunt. 

"Thanks a bunch, Archie!"

"HOO?!"

"Sorry, I won't call you that again."

"Hoo…"

          Harry turned and left, realizing that he had just had a full conversation with an owl, and that he had almost understood what the bird was saying. Shaking his head, he walked in the direction of Gryffindor Tower, just hoping that having conversations with animals was merely another delusional side effect of falling in love. 

~*~*~


	4. A Bloomin' Mystery

Hello again, my dearest darlings! Welcome to the fourth chapter of _Consulting the Flower!_ I've been very excited about this chapter. And this time, I ask only that you enjoy the next chapter of drum roll _Consulting the Flower!_

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter. I do not own cherry trees. I do not own Japan. I do not own owls. I do not own doves. I do not own white roses in general. I do not own love letters in general. (These are all the things I do not own from last time, because I think I forgot to put a disclaimer, even though this should all be very obvious to you.) I do not own Filibuster fireworks. I do not own troll boogies. I do not own Severus Snape. I do not own the grease in Severus Snape's hair. I do, however, own my money, so you bad, bad lawyers who have nothing better to do cannot take it away from me! Ha! (I've had a lot of fun doing this because I am very bored. Forgive me.)

Consulting the Flower

By Sailor Jedi Witch (SJW)

Rated PG because I said so, and I am the Ruler of the Universe, so you must obey me! (Not really, but you should be intelligent enough to know that!)

Chapter 4: A Bloomin' Mystery

          "Good afternoon, Hermione," greeted a cheerful Sirius Black, the day after Hermione had received her anonymous gift. 

"Hi, Sirius. How… how are you, then? Doing all right?" the girl replied, obviously lost somewhere beyond the fringes of the Milky Way, still puzzling over the aforementioned object, and the fact that her handkerchief was now missing.

"I'm fine. Say now, do you enjoy eating Filibuster fireworks marinated in boiled troll boogies, and dipped in the grease that can be squeezed out of Severus Snape's hair?"

"Yes, yes, of course. Absolutely lovely. Hope you have a nice day too, Professor," she mumbled, brushing past the older man. However, he stepped in front of her, grabbed her by the shoulders, and grinned widely.

"Aha! I knew something was wrong with you! I'll bet… I'll bet you just received a love note from a secret admirer!" he cried, with an ever wider, more lopsided grin. 

          Now, in such a state, as many young ladies around the world will undoubtedly know, not very many words could pull Hermione out of the Fantasyland she was in. However, Sirius had said just one of those things.

          "Hmm? Oh, yes… wait a minute! How did you know that? I just got it right…"

"I could recognize such a look anywhere! I caused similar such reactions in many a young lady in my day…" Hermione coughed, vainly trying to cover up a blatant laugh, which Sirius, thankfully for her, did not notice.

"Anyway… enough of dwelling in the past… Who could it be from?" he wondered aloud, with a little twinkle in his eye (which Hermione didn't seem to notice.)

"I have no i…" she began to say, an old memory springing to mind. "Bye, Sirius!" she called over her shoulder, rushing to her dormitory, leaving behind quite a bewildered man. 

~*~*~

          Harry once more roamed the halls of Hogwarts, forming the next step in Operation: In Your Dreams in his head. According to his sources, which shall of course remain unnamed, (coughcough coughParvatiandLavendercoughcough,) Step One had been quite successful. The next step had to be even more so. 

          Harry was still pondering when he bumped into the very object of his affections. 

          "Hello, Harry," she said, smiling quite stupidly, which Harry found to be incredibly attractive. 

          "Hi, Hermione. Nice day, isn't it?" he joked, gesturing to the window, through which could be seen sheets of snow falling onto the sloping lawns of Hogwarts. Hermione grinned and replied, 

          "Yes, absolutely lovely. Say, Harry, have you seen my handkerchief anywhere? It's white, and has my name embroidered on it, with little pink flowers…"

"Sorry, can't say that I have," he lied, barely fighting down a blush. "But I'll keep an eyes out for it, see?" he said, magically conjuring a fake eyeball into his hand. Hermione giggled in response, and Harry's stomach turned. _How can she _do _that to me?_ He thought to himself, pocketing his eyeball, and waving a farewell to the still giggling Hermione. _Wow, am I _that _funny?_ He wondered incredulously, completely distracted from his previously scheming state of mind. That is, until he bumped right into Parvati and Lavender.

          "Hey, Harry," they greeted in unison, grinning mischievously at him. 

"We've just been to see Professor Trelawney, and she said that there would be a solar eclipse quite soon," Lavender informed him, smiling. It was then that Harry had a spark of divine inspiration. _Thank you, God!_

          "Lavender, Parvati, I need you to do something else for me. It's part of my… ahem… _plan._ Are you up to it?"

          "Of course!" exclaimed Lavender. 

"We're the Cupids of this school," agreed Parvati, "and we won't let you down!"

          "But remember, Mum's the word, or nothing will get done, got me?" Vigorous nods from the two girls. "All right, here's what I want you to do…"

~*~*~

Hermione rushed into the dorm, flopping onto her bed. She opened a drawer in her nightstand and took out the little box she had received from "Hopelessly Pining" (whoever that was,) took one of the cherry blossoms into her hand, and began picking the petals off, one by one. 

          "He loves me, he loves me not," she breathed each time she plucked a petal, hoping against hope it would come out all right… Only a couple of petals were left now…

          "Hermione!" a voice from behind her squealed, interrupting her plucking. Turning around, she found Parvati and Lavender hovering anxiously in the doorway. 

          "Hermione, come on, you have to see this!" Lavender cried, rushing over to Hermione's bed and clutching her wrist.

          "What is it? What happened?"

          "There's no time to explain, you just _have_ to come!" exclaimed Parvati, who had now joined in the effort to drag poor Hermione along. 

          "I'm coming, I'm coming!" the latter person growled irritably, not very pleased with being interrupted. 

          Together the three girls flew down the corridors, Lavender and Parvati squealing in excitement, and Hermione rolling her eyes. _Probably some announcement for a class on how to make your own make-up,_ she thought dryly, chuckling aloud at her own joke. Parvati and Lavender paid her no heed, and continued on their way, carrying along the poor, bedraggled Hermione. 

          After what seemed like ages, they finally arrived – on the Quidditch field. The _empty_ Quidditch field.

          "Er… Parvati, Lavender… er… have you two been eating too many sugar quills, or something?"

"Of course not! Just look at the sky!" Hermione complied, shivering because it was still snowing, thinking that she might as well humor the obviously delusional girls. _Probably from inhaling all that smoke in Trelawney's room…_

          Suddenly, the sun began to darken, as a black disk of shadow began to fall over it. Hermione shaded her eyes against the brightness, gasping at the sheer beauty of it all. Within moments, they stood in complete darkness, and it had to be the most wonderful thing any of them had ever experienced. In another minute, the shadowy disk began to draw back again, and they were once again in full sunlight. Hermione cast an astonished look over in Parvati and Lavender's direction, questions springing up in her mind.

          Lavender grinned, correctly interpreting her bewildered expression, and said,

"Professor Trelawney foretold the eclipse this morning, and we thought you'd like to see it."

"Oh." Hermione, of course, believed no nonsense about predictions; Trelawney had probably just read the Daily Prophet, which always announced those sorts of things, seeing as very complex and ancient magic usually could only be done during times such as eclipses. 

          "Say, Hermione, what's that?" Parvati asked, pointing at a little letter that had somehow appeared in Hermione's hands. 

"I… I don't know," she replied meekly. Breaking the seal with trembling fingers, Hermione opened the envelope, and pulled out the thick parchment inside. It read:

          "I would move planets to gain your love.

                             Forever yours, 

                                      Hopelessly Pining" 

"Oh, my…" Hermione said, butterflies fluttering in her stomach. _Hopelessly Pining… HP… HP! Could it be…_


End file.
